Boulder Firebomber Faces Another Life Sentence

An Egyptian man faces an additional life sentence after pleading guilty Thursday to federal hate crimes and other charges for a deadly firebombing attack on demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, last year. Mohamed Soliman is already serving life in prison after pleading guilty to state charges last spring. Federal prosecutors, who previously said they would not seek the death penalty against Soliman, said at his change-of-plea hearing they would seek a life term plus 50 years in prison for the dozen counts, the AP reports. Soliman's federal sentencing was set for Jan. 7.

• Soliman, 46, spoke through an interpreter at the hearing and said little besides "yes" and "no" responses to the judge's questioning, such as whether he understood the consequences of pleading guilty. Soliman was led out of court in handcuffs and shackles without looking at the victims in the courtroom.

Yelling "Free Palestine," Soliman lit and threw two Molotov cocktails at demonstrators who were marching in support of hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Federal prosecutors accused Soliman of carrying out the June 1, 2025 attack because the demonstrators were Jewish. The flames badly burned Karen Diamond, 82, and injured a dozen others. Diamond died three weeks later. Her family says she suffered "indescribable pain." In all, Soliman pleaded guilty to nine federal counts of hate crimes, including one resulting in Diamond's death and eight for attempting to kill other demonstrators. Three additional counts were federal weapons charges.

• Colorado US District Judge John Kane said he would review sentencing guidelines before deciding whether to accept or reject prosecutors' sentencing recommendation. He noted the guidelines are not binding. "I have not made up my mind about the sentence," Kane said. "Sometimes I follow that advice and sometimes I don't."
• Soliman, who had been living with his wife and their five children in an apartment in Colorado Springs at the time of the attack, agreed to drop motions seeking to block his family from being deported, the Colorado Sun reports. He had been trying to keep them in the country to help his defense case. His ex-wife, who divorced him earlier this year, has applied for asylum.